| Description |
*** former Seminar: PhD - Comparative Economic Development ***
Notes: Teaching will be in English. This Syllabus, in particular specific choice of literature per topic, may be subject to change and updates.
Content Overview:
This seminar delves into the historical roots of vast differences in economic and social development across and within countries today. We will explore the critical roles that institutions, geography, culture, technology, and warfare have played in shaping societal evolution and development through a historical and comparative political economy lens. Each week, we will critically examine one seminal paper, utilizing a highly interactive and discussion-based format to delve deeply into the issues presented. Students will learn quasi-experimental techniques such as Instrumental Variables (IV), Difference-in-Differences (DiD), and Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD), and apply these methods to understand and analyze the insights from the weekly papers.
Questions we will explore include:
• Colonial Legacies and Economic Development: How have historical colonial strategies, differentiated by settler mortality, influenced contemporary economic disparities across nations? An instrumental variables approach is employed to isolate the causal impact of colonial rule on modern economic outcomes.
• Long-lasting Effects of Forced Labor Systems: What are the enduring economic effects of forced labor systems like the mining mita in Peru, introduced during the colonial era? A regression discontinuity design is used to examine how these historical institutions continue to influence regional economic performance centuries later.
• Technological Innovation and Economic Growth:
• How did the introduction of the printing press in 15th-century Europe influence economic growth and urban development? The economic transformations spurred by this pivotal technology are investigated through an difference-in-differences analysis, illustrating the effect of technological diffusion on historical development trajectories.
Key Features:
• Empirical Techniques: Gain proficiency in state-of-the-art econometric methods and causal inference using current and historical data.
• Technical Skills: Tutorials and detailed guidance on spatial data analysis in R, including a practical assignment to test these skills.
• Interactive Learning: Engage in discussions of both seminal and recent research contributions in the field.
• Research Development: Develop your own research proposal, present it, and receive peer and instructor feedback.
Lecture: Wednesday, 10.15-12.00h, 206, H4
****please note lecture on 27. November takes place in room 028, H4 **************
***5 slots available, please register in KSL, first come first served (open from 15.07. - 03.09.2024) ***
Presentation: 11.12.2024 - please register in KSL
Submission takehome: mid-semester, announcement in class |
User:
Öffentlicher Bereich
Support